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Human Relations: Principles andPractices, Seventh EditionBarry L. Reece

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chapter 1Introduction to

Human Relations

CHAPTER PREVIEW

Learning Objectives

After studying Chapter 1, you will be able to

Explain the nature, purpose, and importance of human relations.

Identify major developments in the workplace that have given new importanceto human relations.

Identify major forces influencing human behavior at work.

Review the historical development of the human relations movement.

Identify seven basic themes that serve as the foundation for effective humanrelations.

BASECAMPThomas Moore’s Dilemma

Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul, wasn’t thinking too muchabout work-related issues. He was an author of several best-sellingbooks and enjoyed success as a psychotherapist when he suddenly expe-rienced a major work-life crisis. He discovered that much of the money hehad earned from sales of his popular books had vanished into some eco-nomic black hole. He was forced to reinvent himself and his work.1

Facedwith an economic crisis, Moore decided towrite a new book,A LifeatWork, that explored the confusion and anxietymanyworkers are experienc-ing during these complex times. While doing research for the new book,Moore encountered an unexpected source of insight. He read Broken

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Music, a penetrating and honest autobiography written by Sting, the talentedrock musician. Sting’s early work life included outdoor building construction,work as a bus conductor, and work as a civil servant. He eventually worked asa teacher in an elementary school. Sting felt his life was empty of challengeand vitality. None of these jobs offered him enough challenge, nor didthey offer an outlet for his unbounded creativity. By paying attention to hisdeep and complex interior life and being more loyal to his dreams, Stingmoved on to become one of the most successful singers in the history ofrock music.2

Today’s labor market is characterized by a great deal of uncertainty.The old social contract between employer and employee was based onthe notion of lifetime employment. The new social contract emphasizespersonal responsibility for self-development. Today’s employers expectemployees to assume greater responsibility for increasing their value.Self-development is a major theme of this text. n

The Nature, Purpose, and Importance of Human Relations

Each year Fortune magazine publishes a list of the 100 best companies towork for in America. The list always includes a variety of small and large com-panies representing such diverse industries as health care, retailing, finance,

Sting’s autobiography Broken Music served as an inspiration to Thomas Moore when he facedan unexpected life crisis. Sting’s career as a talented rock musician was preceded by a widerange of jobs, including construction worker, bus conductor, and civil servant. It often takes agreat deal of searching to discover the type of work that gives meaning to our lives.

RandyMiramontez/Shutterstock.com

2 CHAPTER 1 Introduction to Human Relations



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manufacturing, hospitality, and customer service. Job seekers study the listcarefully because these are the companies where morale is high and relation-ships are characterized by a high level of trust and teamwork. These companiesprovide a strong foundation for employees to focus on their necessary self-development. America’s best companies realize that all work is done throughrelationships. This chapter focuses on the nature of human relations, its devel-opment, and its importance to the achievement of individual and organizationalgoals.

Human Relations Defined

The term human relations in its broadest sense covers all types of interactionsamong people—their conflicts, cooperative efforts, and group relationships. It isthe study of why our beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors sometimes cause relation-ship problems in our personal lives and in work-related situations. The study ofhuman relations emphasizes the analysis of human behavior, prevention strate-gies, resolution of behavioral problems, and self-development.

Human Relations in the Age of Information

The restructuring of America from an industrial economy to an information econ-omy has had a profound impact on human relationships. Living in an age inwhich the effective exchange of information is the foundation of most economictransactions means making major life adjustments.

Most of us will work with information instead of producing goods. Manypeople feel a sense of frustration because they must cope with a glut of informa-tion that arrives faster than they can process it. The age of information hasspawned the information technology revolution, and many workers experiencestress as they try to keep up with ever-changing technology.

Increased reliance on information technology often comes at a price—lesshuman contact. Sources of connection away from work are also being trimmed.Unfortunately, a human-contact deficiency weakens the spirit, the mind, and thebody.3 To thrive, indeed just to survive, we need warm-hearted contact with otherpeople.

The authors of The Social Life of Information describe another price we pay forliving in the age of information. A great number of people are focusing on infor-mation so intently that they miss the very things that provide valuable balanceand perspective. Neglecting the cues and clues that lie outside the tight focus oninformation can limit our effectiveness. Think about written proposals negotiatedon the Internet and signed by electronic signature. Such transactions lack theessence of a face-to-face meeting: a firm handshake and a straight look in theeye. Today’s knowledge worker needs to take more account of people and a littleless of information.4

Major Developments That Give New Importance to Human Relations

Every organization depends on three essential factors: people, process, and tech-nology. The first success factor is people.5 Personal and interpersonal effective-ness set the stage for career success. Studies indicate that communication and

human relations Thestudy of why our be-liefs, attitudes, andbehaviors sometimescause relationshipproblems in our per-sonal lives and in work-related situations.

Major Developments That Give New Importance to Human Relations 3



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interpersonal skills are highly rated by nearly all employers who are hiring newemployees. They want to know how new hires will treat coworkers and custo-mers, how they speak and listen at meetings, and how well they extend theminor courtesies that enhance relationships. Your people skills will often makethe difference in how high you rise in an organization.6

Several important developments in the workplace have given new impor-tance to human relations. Each of the following developments provides supportfor human relations in the workplace.

• The labor market has become a place of churning dislocation caused by the heavyvolume of mergers, acquisitions, business closings, bankruptcies, downsizings,and outsourcing of jobs to foreign countries. Executives such as Alan Mulallyoften view downsizing as an important step toward profitability. As CEOof Boeing Corporation, he trimmed the work force to 50,000 employeesfrom 120,000. After accepting the CEO position at Ford Motor Company,he announced plans to close 14 factories and slash up to 34,000 jobs.7

Restructuring efforts often result in low morale and mistrust of manage-ment. Employees who remain after a company reduces its ranks alsosuffer; they often feel demoralized, overworked, and fearful that in thenext round of cuts they will be targeted.8

• Changing work patterns create new opportunities and new challenges. TheCensus Bureau reports that about 18 million Americans are self-employed.When enterprising persons are laid off by corporations, they increasinglybecome independent consultants, contractors, landscape gardeners,carpenters, and tax consultants. We are also seeing a strong demand fortemporary workers in such diverse fields as medical services, banking,heavy manufacturing, and computers. Many temps land full-time jobsafter proving themselves in temporary positions.9

• Organizations are increasingly oriented toward service to clients,patients, and customers. We live in a service economy whererelationships are often more important than products.Restaurants, hospitals, banks, public utilities, colleges,airlines, and retail stores all must now gain and retain thepatronage of their clients and customers. In any service-typefirm, there are thousands of “moments of truth”—thosecritical incidents in which customers come into contact withthe organization and form their impressions of its qualityand service.

In the new economy, almost every source of organizational success—technology,financial structure, and competitive strategy—can be copied in an amazinglyshort period of time.10 However, making customers the center of the companyculture can take years.

• Workplace incivility is increasingly a threat to employee relationships. In thisinformation-based, high-tech, speeded-up economy, we are witnessing anincrease in workplace incivility. Rude behavior in the form of high-decibelcell phone conversations, use of profanity, or failure to display simplecourtesies such as saying “thank you” can damage workplace relation-ships. Incivility is the ultimate career killer.

We live in a serviceeconomy whererelationships are oftenmore important thanproducts.




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• Manycompaniesareorganizingtheirworkers intoteams inwhicheachemployeeplaysapart.Organizations eager to improve quality, improve job satisfaction, increaseworker participation in decision making and problem solving, and improvecustomer service are turning to teams.

Although some organizations have successfully harnessed the powerof teams, others have encountered problems. One barrier to productivityis the employee who lacks the skills needed to be a team member. Inmaking the transition to a team environment, team members need skillsin group decision making, leadership, conflict resolution, andcommunications.11

Total Person InsightPatrick LencioniAuthor, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

“It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage, both because itis so powerful and so rare.”12

• Diversity has become a prominent characteristic of today’s work force. A numberof trends have contributed to greater work force diversity. Throughout the

RobertMankoff/Bios/Cartoon

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past two decades, participation in the labor force by Asian Americans,African Americans, and Hispanics has increased; labor force participationby adult women has risen to a record 60 percent; the employment door forpeople with physical or mental impairments has opened wider; and largernumbers of young workers are working with members of the expanding50-plus age group. Within this heterogeneous work force, we will find amultitude of values, expectations, and work habits. The major aspects ofwork force diversity are discussed in Chapter 7.

These developments represent trends that will no doubt continue for manyyears. Many other developments have also had an unsettling impact on the U.S.work force in recent years. In 2001, the economy was jarred by the collapse ofseveral hundred dot.com companies. The World Trade Center terrorist attack onSeptember 11, 2001, crippled the airline and aerospace industries. In 2002, publictrust in the corporate establishment was shaken by a wave of corporate scandalsthat involved Enron, Tyco, Merrill Lynch, Arthur Andersen, WorldCom, andmany other companies. In 2007, our economy slumped into a long recession trig-gering a sharp rise in unemployment.

It is safe to say that no line of work, organization, or industry will enjoyimmunity from these developments. Today’s employees must be adaptable andflexible to achieve success within a climate of change and uncertainty.

The Challenge of Human Relations

To develop and apply the wide range of human skills needed in today’s work-place can be extremely challenging. You will be working with clients, customers,patients, and other workers who vary greatly in age, work background, commu-nications style, values, cultural background, gender, and work ethic.

Human relations is further complicated by the fact that we must managethree types of relationships (see Figure 1.1). The first relationship is the onewith ourselves. Many people carry around a set of ideas and feelingsabout themselves that are quite negative and in most cases quite inaccurate.

ALL WORK IS DONETHROUGH

RELATIONSHIPS

GroupmembersOne-to-one

Self

FIGURE 1.1 Major Relationship Management Challenges




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People who have negative feelings about their abilities and accomplishmentsand who engage in constant self-criticism must struggle to maintain a goodrelationship with themselves. The importance of high self-esteem is addressedin Chapter 3.

The second type of relationship we must learn to manage is the one-to-onerelationship we face in our personal and work lives. People in the health-carefield, sales, food service, and a host of other occupations face this challengemany times each day. In some cases, racial, age, or gender bias serves as a barrierto good human relations.

The third challenge we face is the management of relationships with mem-bers of a group. As already noted, many workers are assigned to a team on eithera full-time or a part-time basis. Lack of cooperation among team members canresult in quality problems or a slowdown in production.

The Influence of the Behavioral Sciences

The field of human relations draws on the behavioral sciences—psychology, soci-ology, and anthropology. Basically, these sciences focus on the why of humanbehavior. Psychology attempts to find out why individuals act as they do, andsociology and anthropology concentrate primarily on group dynamics and socialinteraction. Human relations differs from the behavioral sciences in one impor-tant respect. Although also interested in the why of human behavior, humanrelations goes further and looks at what can be done to anticipate problems,resolve them, or even prevent them from happening. In other words, thisfield emphasizes knowledge that can be applied in practical ways to problems ofinterpersonal relations at work or in our personal life.

Human Relations and the “Total Person”

The material in this book focuses on human relations as the study of howpeople satisfy both personal and work-related needs. We believe, as do mostauthors in the field of interpersonal relations, that such human traits as physi-cal fitness, emotional control, self-awareness, self-esteem, and values orienta-tion are interdependent. Although some organizations may occasionally wishthey could employ only a person’s physical strength or creative powers, allthat can be employed is the total person. A person’s separate characteristicsare part of a single system making up that whole person. Work life is nottotally separate from home life, and emotional conditions are not separatefrom physical conditions. The quality of one’s work, for example, is oftenrelated to physical fitness or one’s ability to cope with the stress created byfamily problems.

Many organizations are beginning to recognize that when the whole personis improved, significant benefits accrue to the firm. These organizations are estab-lishing employee-development programs that address the total person, not justthe employee skills needed to perform the job. Gregg Appliances Inc., an appli-ance and electronics retail chain, offers employees education programs that helpthem cope with marital stresses.13 International Business Machines has launcheda program to combat childhood obesity among employees’ children.14 Someorganizations offer lunchtime seminars on financial planning, parenting skills,and other topics.

total person The com-bination of character-istics that make up thewhole person.




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Total Person InsightDaniel GolemanAuthor, Working with Emotional Intelligence

“The rules for work are changing. We’re being judged by a new yardstick: notjust by how smart we are, or by our training and expertise, but also by howwell we handle ourselves and each other.”15

The Need for a Supportive Environment

Some persons in leadership positions do not believe that total person develop-ment, job enrichment, motivation techniques, or career development strategieshelp increase productivity or strengthen worker commitment to the job. It istrue that when such practices are tried without full commitment or without fullmanagement support, there is a good chance they will fail. Such failures oftenhave a demoralizing effect on employees and management alike.

A basic assumption of this book is that human relations, when applied in apositive and supportive environment, can help individuals achieve greater per-sonal satisfaction from their careers and help increase an organization’s produc-tivity and efficiency.

The Forces Influencing Behavior at Work

A major purpose of this text is to increase your knowledge of factors that influencehuman behavior in a variety of work settings. An understanding of human behav-ior at work begins with a review of the six major forces that affect every employee,regardless of the size of the organization. As Figure 1.2 indicates, these are organi-zational culture, supervisory–management influence, work group influence, jobinfluence, personal characteristics of the worker, and family influence.

Organizational Culture

Every organization, whether a manufacturing plant, retail store, hospital, or gov-ernment agency, has its own unique culture. The organizational culture is thecollection of shared values, beliefs, rituals, stories, and myths that foster a feelingof community among organizational members.16 The culture of an organizationis, in most cases, a reflection of the deeply held values and behaviors of a smallgroup of individuals. In a large organization, the chief executive officer (CEO)and a handful of senior executives will shape the culture. In a small company,the culture may flow from the values held by the founder.17

Enron Corporation, the second-largest company in U.S. history to file for bank-ruptcy, maintained a corporate culture that pushed everything to the limits: businesspractices, laws, and personal behavior. This culture drove Enron to dizzying growth,but it eventually collapsed under the weight of greed, deception, and corruption.18

By contrast, eBay, the auction website company, has developed a culture thatemphasizes customer service and a loyal work force. The culture is based on two

organizational cultureThe collection ofshared values, beliefs,rituals, stories, andmyths that foster afeeling of communityamong organizationalmembers.




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principles: “We believe people are basically good” and “We believe everyone hassomething to contribute.”19

Many employees are fired or choose to quit their jobs because they are a poorfit with the corporate culture. It is a good idea to carefully study the organiza-tional culture of a company before accepting employment there.

Supervisory–Management Influence

Supervisory–management personnel are in a key position to influence employeebehavior. It is no exaggeration to say that supervisors and managers are thespokespersons for the organization. Their philosophy, competence, and leader-ship style establish the organization’s image in the eyes of employees. Eachemployee develops certain perceptions about the organization’s concern for hisor her welfare. These perceptions, in turn, influence such important factors asproductivity, customer relations, safety consciousness, and loyalty to the firm.

Total Person InsightBrian TracyThe Law of Integrity

“Integrity lies at the very heart of leadership. Everything you do revolves aroundthe person you are inside. The person you really are inside is always demon-strated by the things you do and say.”20

Family Influence• Work-family

initiatives• Family-friendly

culture

Supervisory-Management Influence• Philosophy• Competence• Leadership style

Job Influence• Meaningfulness• Responsibility• Knowledge of

results

Organizational Culture• Mission• Vision• Beliefs• Values

Personal Characteristics of the Worker• Abilities• Interests• Aptitudes• Values• Expectations

Work Group Influence• Social support• Emotional

support• Support for

meeting goals

WORKERBEHAVIOR

FIGURE 1.2 Major Forces Influencing Worker Behavior

The Forces Influencing Behavior at Work 9



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Work Group Influence

In recent years, behavioral scientists have devoted considerable research to deter-mining the influence of group affiliation on the individual worker. This research

has identified three functions of group membership. First, it cansatisfy social needs. When employees feel more connected to theircolleagues at work, they are generally more productive.21 Manypeople find the hours spent at work enjoyable because coworkersprovide needed social support. Second, the work group can providethe emotional support needed to deal with pressures and problems onor off the job. Finally, the group provides assistance in solvingproblems and meeting goals. A cohesive work group lends supportand provides the resources we need to be productive workers.

Job Influence

Work in modern societies does more than fulfill economic needs. When we findmeaning and fulfillment in our jobs, we become more complete as humanbeings.22 As one organizational consultant noted, work has taken center stage inthe lives of most people: “We spend most of our waking hours doing our jobs,thinking about work, and getting to and from our workplaces. When we feelgood about our work, we tend to feel good about our lives. When we find ourwork unsatisfying and unrewarding, we don’t feel good.”23 Unfortunately,many people hold jobs that do not make them feel good. Many workers perceivetheir jobs to be meaningless and boring. Some workers experience frustrationbecause they feel powerless to influence their working conditions.

The workers at ATA Engineering Inc. don’t just talk about the merits of teamwork. They helpcreate a culture that nourishes a collegial and collaborative spirit. This ATA Engineering teamhas entered an Extreme Gravity Racing event.

“We spend most of ourwaking hours doing ourjobs, thinking aboutwork, and getting to andfrom our workplaces.”

Courtesy

ofATAEngineering,Inc.




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Personal Characteristics of the Worker

Every worker brings to the job a combination of abilities, interests, aptitudes, values,and expectations. Worker behavior on the job is most frequently a reflection of howwell the work environment accommodates the unique characteristics of each worker.

Identifying the ideal work environment for today’s work force is difficult.A single parent may greatly value a flexible work schedule and child care. Therecipient of a new business degree may seek a position with a new high-techfirm, hoping to make a lot of money in a hurry. Other workers may desire moreleisure time, and some workers seek job security.

Coming into the workplace today is a new generation of workers with valuesystems and expectations about work that often differ from those of the previousgeneration. Today’s better-educated and better-informed workers value identityand achievement. They also have a heightened sense of their rights.

Family Influence

A majority of undergraduates name balancing work and personal life as their topcareer goal.24 Most people want time for family, friends, and leisure pursuits.However, finding employers who truly support work/life balance can be diffi-cult, especially during a slowing economy.

The “New Economy” is a 24/7 economy. When businesses operate 24 hoursa day, 7 days a week, the result is often a culture of relentless overwork. In manycases workers must live with on-call-all-the-time work schedules.

The number of dual-income families has doubled since 1950. Both parentshave jobs in 63 percent of married-couple homes. When both partners areworking long hours, it may be difficult to stay committed to a good life together.Marital distress often has a negative impact on organizational productivity.

Many organizations have found that family problems are often linked toemployee problems such as tardiness, absenteeism, and turnover. The discoveryhas led many companies to develop work–family programs and policies thathelp employees juggle the demands of children, spouses, and elderly parents.25

THINKING / LEARNING / DOING

In a work setting there are six major forces that influence worker behavior.

Review these forces and then consider how they influenced your behavior

during previous work or volunteer assignments. After reflecting on the six

major forces, list them in the space below and number the items in order of their

importance.

The Forces Influencing Behavior at Work 11



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The Development of the Human Relations Movement

The early attempts to improve productivity in manufacturing focused mainly ontrying to improve such things as plant layout and mechanical processes. But,over time, there was more interest in redefining the nature of work and perceiv-ing workers as complex human beings. This change reflected a shift in valuesfrom a concern with things to a greater concern for people. In this section, webriefly examine a few major developments that influenced the human relationsmovement.

The Impact of the Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution marked a shift from home-based, handcrafted pro-cesses to large-scale factory production. Before the Industrial Revolution, mostwork was performed by individual craft workers or members of craft guilds.Generally, each worker saw a project through from start to finish. Skills such astailoring, carpentry, and shoemaking took a long time to perfect and were often asource of pride to an individual or a community. Under this system, however,output was limited.

The Industrial Revolution had a profound effect on the nature of work andthe role of the worker. Previously, an individual tailor could make only a fewitems of clothing in a week’s time; factories could now make hundreds. However,the early industrial plants were not very efficient because there was very littleuniformity in the way tasks were performed. It was this problem that set thestage for research by a man who changed work forever.

Taylor’s Scientific Management

In 1874, Frederick W. Taylor obtained a job as an apprentice in a machine shop.He rose to the position of foreman, and in this role he became aware of the inef-ficiency and waste throughout the plant. In most cases workers were left on theirown to determine how to do their jobs. Taylor began to systematically study eachjob and break it down into its smallest movements. He discovered ways toreduce the number of motions and get rid of time-wasting efforts. Workers will-ing to follow Taylor’s instruction found that their productivity increased.26

Frederick W. Taylor started the scientific management movement, and hisideas continue to influence the workplace today. Critics of Taylor’s approachsay that the specialized tasks workers perform often require manual skills butvery little or no thinking.

Total Person InsightJames BaughmanDirector of Management Development, General Electric Co.

“You can only get so much more productivity out of reorganization and automa-tion. Where you really get productivity leaps is in the minds and hearts ofpeople.”27

scientific managementThe systematic study ofa job to break it downinto its smallest move-ments to increaseefficiency.




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Mayo’s Hawthorne Studies

Harvard Business School Professor Elton Mayo and his colleagues accidentallydiscovered part of the answer to variations in worker performance whileconducting research in the mid-1920s at the Hawthorne Western Electric plant,located near Chicago. Their original goal was to study the effect of illumination,ventilation, and fatigue on production workers in the plant. Their research,known as the Hawthorne Studies, became a sweeping investigation into therole of human relations in group and individual productivity. These studies alsogave rise to the profession of industrial psychology by legitimizing the humanfactor as an element in business operations.28

After three years of experimenting with lighting and other physical aspectsof work, Mayo made two important discoveries. First, all the attention focusedon workers who participated in the research made them feel more important.For the first time, they were getting feedback on their job performance. Inaddition, test conditions allowed them greater freedom from supervisorycontrol. Under these circumstances, morale and motivation increased andproductivity rose.

Second, Mayo found that the interaction of workers on the job created a net-work of relationships called an informal organization. This organization exertedconsiderable influence on workers’ performance.

Although some observers have criticized the Hawthorne studies for flawedresearch methodology, this research laid the foundation for the field of organiza-tional behavior.29

From the Great Depression to the New Millennium

During the Great Depression, interest in human relations research waned asother ways of humanizing the workplace gained momentum. During that period,unions increased their militant campaigns to organize workers and force employ-ers to pay attention to such issues as working conditions, higher pay, shorterhours, and protection for child laborers.

After World War II and during the years of postwar economic expansion,interest in the human relations field increased. Countless papers and researchstudies on worker efficiency, group dynamics, organization, and motivationalmethods were published. Douglas McGregor, in his classic book The Human Sideof Enterprise, argued that how well an organization performs is directly propor-tional to its ability to tap human potential.30Abraham Maslow, a noted psycholo-gist, devised a “hierarchy of needs,” stating that people satisfied their needs ina particular order. Later, Frederick Herzberg proposed an important theoryof employee motivation based on satisfaction. Each theory had considerableinfluence on the study of motivation.

Since the 1950s, theories and concepts regarding human behavior havefocused more and more on an understanding of human interaction. Eric Berne,in the 1960s, revolutionized the way people think about interpersonal communi-cation when he introduced transactional analysis, with its “Parent-Adult-Child”model. At about the same time, Carl Rogers published his work on personalitydevelopment, interpersonal communication, and group dynamics.

Peter Drucker, often described as the greatest management thinker andwriter of all time, influenced organizational behavior for a period of 60 years.

Hawthorne studies Aninvestigation into therole of human relationsin group and individualproductivity.

informal organizationA network of relation-ships created by theinteraction of workerson the job.

The Development of the Human Relations Movement 13



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He originated the view of the corporation as a human community built ontrust and respect for the worker. He made clear there is “No business withouta customer,” a simple concept that created greater support for customerservices.32

There is no doubt that management consultants Tom Peters and RobertWaterman also influenced management thinking regarding the importance ofpeople in organizations. Their best-selling book In Search of Excellence, publishedin 1982, describes eight attributes of excellence found in America’s best-run com-panies. One of these attributes, “productivity through people,” emphasizes thatexcellent companies treat the worker as the root source of quality and productiv-ity. The editors of Fast Company magazine say that In Search of Excellence “firedthe starting gun in the race to the New Economy.”33

We have provided you with no more than a brief glimpse of selected devel-opments in the human relations movement. Space does not permit a review ofthe hundreds of theorists and practitioners who have influenced human relationsin the workplace. However, in the remaining chapters, we do introduce theviews of other influential thinkers and authors.

Major Themes in Human Relations

Seven broad themes emerge from the study of human relations.They are communication, self-awareness, self-acceptance, motiva-tion, trust, self-disclosure, and conflict resolution. These themesreflect the current concern in human relations with the twingoals of (1) personal growth and development and (2) theachievement of organizational objectives. To some degree, these

HUMANRELATIONS INACTION

Big-Book Blockbusters

Each year, between 4,000 and 5,000 new books claiming to be about business

are published. Here is a list of five heavyweights:

• The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson.

(Published in 1982 and still making best-seller lists.)

• Reengineering the Corporation by Michael Hammer and James Champy.

(A BusinessWeek reviewer said, “May well be the best-written book for the

managerial masses since In Search of Excellence.”)

• Built to Last by Jim Collins. (According to USA Today, it’s “one of the most

eye-opening business studies since In Search of Excellence.”)

• In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman. (Described by

the Wall Street Journal as “one of those rare books on management that are

both consistently thought provoking and fun to read.”)

• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. (Published in

1936 and still a best seller.)31

It is not an exaggerationto describe communica-tion as the “heart andsoul” of human relations.




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themes are interrelated (see Figure 1.3), and most are discussed in more than onechapter of this book.

Communication

It is not an exaggeration to describe communication as the “heart and soul” ofhuman relations. Communication is the means by which we come to an under-standing of ourselves and others. To grow and develop as persons, we mustdevelop the awareness and the skills necessary to communicate effectively.Communication is the human connection. That is why the subject is covered inmore than one section of this book. In Chapter 2, we explore the fundamentalsof both personal and organizational communication. Suggestions on how toimprove communication will appear in other chapters.

Self-Awareness

One of the most important ways to develop improved relationships with othersis to develop a better understanding of ourselves. With increased self-awarenesscomes a greater understanding of how our behavior influences others. StephenCovey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, says that self-awareness enables us to stand apart and examine the way we “see” ourselves,as well as to see other people.34

The importance of self-awareness is being recognized by an increasing num-ber of authors, trainers, and educators. Daniel Goleman, author of the best-sellingbook Emotional Intelligence, has given us new insights into the importance of self-

Conflict resolution

Self-acceptance

Trust

Self-awareness

Self-disclosure

Motivation

EFFECTIVEHUMAN

RELATIONS

Communication

FIGURE 1.3 Major Themes in Human Relations

communication Themeans by which wecome to an under-standing of ourselvesand others.

self-awareness Theability to recognize andunderstand yourmoods, emotions, anddrives and how yourbehavior influencesothers.

Major Themes in Human Relations 15



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awareness. Goleman says IQ accounts for only about 20 percent of a person’ssuccess in life. The rest, he says, you can credit to “emotional intelligence.” Ofall the elements that make up emotional intelligence, Goleman asserts, self-awareness is the most important. He notes that a deficit in self-awareness canbe damaging to one’s personal relationships and career.35

Jim Collins, best-selling author, recalls a life-changing meeting with Peter Drucker.Collins says Drucker altered the direction of his life by focusing the discussionaround one simple question: “What do you want to contribute?”

Self-Acceptance

The degree to which you like and accept yourself is the degree to which you cangenuinely like and accept other people. Self-acceptance is the foundation ofsuccessful interaction with others. In a work setting, people with positiveself-concepts tend to cope better with change, accept responsibility more readily,tolerate differences, and generally work well as team members. A negativeself-concept, however, can create barriers to good interpersonal relations. Self-acceptance is crucial not only for building relationships with others but also forsetting and achieving goals. The more you believe you can do, the more you arelikely to accomplish. Chapter 3 explains why high self-esteem (complete self-acceptance) is essential for effective human relations. That chapter also helpsyou identify ways to achieve greater self-acceptance.

Motivation

Most people who engage in the study of motivation seek answers to two ques-tions: “How do I motivate myself?” and “How do I motivate others?” If you arereally committed to achieving peak performance, you must motivate yourselffrom within.36 Inner drives for excellence can be very powerful. To motivateothers, you need to understand time-proven, well-researched theories and well-established motivation strategies. Chapter 4 will help you identify the prioritiesand values that motivate you.

Trust

Trust is the building block of all successful relationships with coworkers, custo-mers, family members, and friends. There is compelling evidence that low levelsof trust in a work force can lead to reduced productivity, stifled innovation, highstress, and slow decision making.37 When a lack of trust exists in an organization,a decline in the flow of information almost always results. Employees communi-cate less information to their supervisors, express opinions reluctantly, and avoiddiscussions. Cooperation, so necessary in a modern work setting, deteriorates.When a climate of trust is present, frank discussion of problems and a freeexchange of ideas and information are more likely to take place.

self-acceptance Thedegree to which youlike and acceptyourself.

motivation Inner drivefor excellence.

trust Trust exists whenwe firmly rely on theintegrity, ability, andcharacter of a personor organization.




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THINKING / LEARNING / DOING

To achieve a better understanding of the major themes in human relations,

complete the sentences below. Work quickly and don’t worry too much about

the ending. Sentence completion exercises can be powerful vehicles for self-

discovery and personal growth.

To become more self-accepting I need to

To build a more trusting relationship with others, I need to

My greatest strength in the area of communication is

To grow in the area of self-awareness I need to

I am motivated to give my best when

Self-Disclosure

Self-disclosure and trust are two halves of a whole. The more open you are withpeople, the more trust you build. The more trust there is in a relationship, thesafer you feel to disclose who you are. Self-disclosure is also part of goodcommunication and helps eliminate unnecessary guessing games. Managerswho let their subordinates know what is expected of them help those employeesfulfill their responsibilities. Chapter 2 emphasizes the need of individuals toverbalize the thoughts and feelings they carry within them and provides manypractical suggestions on how to use constructive self-disclosure.

Conflict Resolution

Conflict in one form or another surfaces almost daily in the lives of many work-ers. You may experience conflict during a commute to work when a carelessdriver cuts you off at a freeway exit ramp. If your job includes supervisory–management responsibilities, you will spend a great deal of time in conflictresolution, attempting to resolve conflicts among members of your staff. As a

self-disclosure Shar-ing information aboutyourself with others.

conflict resolutionAttempting to resolveconflicts among co-workers or membersof a team.

Major Themes in Human Relations 17



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team member, you may assume the role of mediator when other team membersclash. Conflict also surfaces when working parents attempt to balance thedemands of both work and family. Stressful conditions at home often interferewith work performance, and on-the-job pressures create or magnify problems athome.38 The ability to anticipate or resolve conflict can be an invaluable skill.Chapter 8 provides several valuable suggestions on how conflict can be resolvedeffectively.

Human Relations: Benefits to You

As previously noted, the work force is currently characterized by downsizing,mergers, buyouts, business closings, and other disruptive forces. We are seeingmore emphasis on quality products and quality services. In addition, diversityhas become a more prominent characteristic of today’s work force. These condi-tions will very likely continue in the new millennium. One of the best ways tocope with these changes is to develop and apply the interpersonal skills neededfor success in today’s working world.

Many leaders feel that courses in human relations are important becausevery few workers are responsible to themselves alone. These leaders point outthat most jobs today are interdependent. If people in these jobs cannot workeffectively as coworkers, the efficiency of the organization will suffer.

Stressful conditions often impact workers who commute to work in their automobile. Roadrage is a common problem on America’s highways.

AlistairScott,Shutterstock.com




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LOOKING BACK: REVIEWING THE CONCEPTS

1. Explain the nature, purpose, and importance

of human relations.

• Human relations is the study of why ourbeliefs, attitudes, and behaviors sometimescause relationship problems in our personaland work lives.

• It covers three types of interactions amongpeople—their conflicts, cooperative efforts,and group relationships.

• Human relations, when applied in a positiveand supportive environment, can helpincrease an organization’s productivity andefficiency.

2. Identify major developments in the work-

place that have given new importance to

human relations.

• The restructuring of America from anindustrial economy to an informationeconomy has had profound implicationsfor the study of human relations.

• Developments in the workplace that increasethe importance of human relations:� churning dislocation in the labor market� changing work patterns� the need for higher service standards� increasing workplace incivility� greater reliance on team-based structures� work force diversity

3. Identify major forces influencing human

behavior at work.

• These forces include:� organizational culture� supervisory–management influence� work group influence� job influence� personal characteristics of the worker� family influence

4. Review the historical development of the

human relations movement.

• Early attempts to improve productivity inmanufacturing focused on such things asplant layout and mechanical processes. Withthe passing of time there was more interestin redefining the nature of work and per-ceiving workers as complex human beings.

• Two landmarks in the study of motivationand worker needs are:� Frederick Taylor’s work in scientific

management (focusing on improvingproduction processes to increaseproductivity)

� Elton Mayo’s Hawthorne studies(focusing on the informalorganization)

• Later research by Douglas McGregor,Frederick Herzberg, Carl Rogers, andothers contributed greatly to our under-standing of how to achieve productivitythrough people.

5. Identify seven basic themes that serve as the

foundation for effective human relations.

• Seven major themes emerge from a study ofhuman relations:� communication� self-awareness� self-acceptance� motivation� trust� self-disclosure� conflict resolution

• These themes reflect the current concern inhuman relations with personal growth andsatisfaction of organizational objectives.

ON THE JOB Q & A: SKILLS YOUCAN TAKE ANYWHERE

Q: The daily newspapers and television news shows are constantly reportingon mergers, business closings, and downsizing efforts. With so much uncer-tainty in the job market, how can I best prepare for a career?

A: You are already doing one thing that is very important—keeping an eye onlabor market trends. During a period of rapid change and less job security,

On the Job Q & A: Skills You Can Take Anywhere 19



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you must continuously study workplace trends and assess your careerpreparation. Louis S. Richman, in a Fortune magazine article entitled“How to Get Ahead in America,” said, “Climbing in your career calls forbeing clear about your personal goals, learning how to add value, anddeveloping skills you can take anywhere.” Richard Bolles, author of thebest-selling job-hunting book, What Color Is Your Parachute?, says youmust do a systematic inventory of the transferable skills that you alreadypossess, and then identify the skills that you still need to develop. Keep inmind that today’s employers demand more, so be prepared to add value tothe company from day one. Search for your employer’s toughest problemsand make yourself part of the solutions.

You have already developed some important transferable workskills in school. If you have worked on group projects, then you haveno doubt developed skills in the areas of collaboration and conflictresolution.39

KEY TERMS

human relations, p. 3total person, p. 7organizational culture, p. 8scientific management, p. 12Hawthorne studies, p. 13

informal organization, p. 13communication, p. 15self-awareness, p. 15self-acceptance, p. 16motivation, p. 16

trust, p. 16self-disclosure, p. 17conflict resolution, p. 17

TRY YOUR HAND

1. Throughout this book you will be givenmany opportunities to engage in self-assessmentactivities. Self-assessment involves taking a carefullook at the human relations skills you need to bewell rounded and thoroughly prepared for suc-cess in your work life and fulfillment in your per-sonal life. To assess your human relations skills,complete the self-assessment exercise for Chapters2 through 9 at www.cengagebrain.com (type in“Reece,” select “Human Relation 7e,” and followthe cues to the CourseMate website). These assess-ment exercises will provide you with increasedawareness of your strengths and a better under-standing of those skills and abilities you maywant to improve.

2. The seven broad themes that emerge from thestudy of human relations were discussed inthis chapter. Although these themes are interre-lated, there is value in examining each one sep-arately before reading the rest of the book.Review the description of each theme and thenanswer these questions.

a. When you take into consideration the humanrelations problems that you have observedor experienced at work, school, and home,which themes represent the most importantareas of study? Explain your answer.

b. In which of these areas do you feel the great-est need for improvement? Why?

3. In his book The Success Principles, Jack Canfielddescribes 50 principles that will increase your con-fidence, help you tackle daily challenges, and teachyouhow to realize your ambitions.Number one onhis list is “Take 100% responsibility for your life.”This includes the quality of your relationships,your health and fitness, your income, your careersuccess—everything!He saysmost of us have beenconditioned to blame events outside of our life forthose parts of our lifewedislike. Reflect onyour lifeup to this point and identify situations in whichyou blamed someone or something else for yourfailure to achieve a goal or improve in some area.Doyou see any situations inwhich you felt justifiedin blaming others or refused to take risks?40




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YOU PLAY

±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±±

THE

ROLE

The college you attend offers career counseling, job-placement assistance, andhelp finding summer internships. You plan to meet with a career counselorand seek help finding a summer internship with a well-established company.You will be meeting with a class member who will assume the role of careercounselor. The purpose of this meeting is to give the counselor some basic informa-tion about your career plans and the type of company you would like to work for.Before the meeting, prepare a written outline of information you plan to presentduring the meeting. Base your questions on your academic studies and yourcurrent employment interests. The outline should focus on answers to the following:

• Define what type of work would be most meaningful.

• Describe what type of organizational culture would bemost appealing to you.

• Identify what you find to be the basic rewards of work.

REACHING THE SUMMIT:

In Search of Meaningful Work

At the beginning of this chapter, we described how Sting spent several years

moving from one job to another, only to discover that each career path was

empty of challenge. Some of these jobs provided job security, but none of them

provided an outlet for his creative powers and musical talents. He could have

spent his entire working life as a bus conductor or a civil servant, but he would

have been a very unhappy person. In his memoir, Broken Music, we learn that

his success as an artist (sales of nearly 100 million albums) was the result of risk

taking. Some people are gripped with the feeling they are getting nowhere at

work but still can’t move ahead. Some people in their fifties and sixties are still

not sure who they are and what they are called to do.41

Some organizations will help you find rewarding work. Deloitte Development

LLC (http://www.deloitte.com) provides a wide range of audit, tax, and financial

services throughout the world. This large company (165,000 employees) offers

increasingly customized career paths with great emphasis on coaching. Each of the

major divisions with the company offers its own tailored mentoring effort. These

mentoring programs are customized to fit an employee’s development cycle.42

A great place to work need not be a large company. Many small businesses

and nonprofits have created workplace environments and cultures that offer

rewarding career paths. The Wall Street Journal identified the 15 top small

workplaces. Companies such as Guerra DeBerry Coody (advertising and public

relations) and NRG Systems (maker of wind measuring equipment) tend to let

employees at all levels make key decisions. They constantly identify new ways

to improve the employee experience and engage employees.43

QUESTIONS

1. Support your position on searching for an employer who will provide a

healthy balance between work and personal life.

2. As you search for a rewarding job, differentiate between your goals related

to a work environment versus a paycheck.

You Play the Role 21



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END NOTES

1. Thomas Moore, “Finding Life at Work,” Spirituality& Health, March/April 2008, p. 12.

2. Thomas Moore, A Life at Work (New York: Broad-way Books, 2008), pp. 8–11.

3. Edward M. Hallowell, Connect (New York: PantheonBooks, 1999), pp. 1–14.

4. John Seely Brown and Paul Duguid, The Social Life ofInformation (Boston: Harvard Business School Press,2000), pp. 2–13.

5. Gerhard Gschwandtner, “The Magic Formula forSustainable Success,” Selling Power, June 2006, p. 10.

6. Ronald Alsop, “How to Get Hired,” Wall StreetJournal, September 22, 2004; Marshall Goldsmith,“Nice Guys Can Finish First,” Fast Company,November 2004, p. 123.

7. Monica Langley and Jefferey McCracken, “FordTaps Boeing Executive as CEO,” Wall Street Journal,September 6, 2006, p. A1.

8. Joann S. Lublin, “Mergers Often Trigger Anxiety,Lower Morale,” Wall Street Journal, January 16,2001, pp. B1, B4; Daniel Roth, “How to Cut Pay,Lay Off 8,000 People, and Still Have Workers WhoLove You,” Fortune, February 4, 2002, pp. 63–68.

9. James O’Toole and Edward C. Lawler III, “A Pieceof Work,” Fast Company, June 2006, p. 88; MikeBrewster, “The Freelance Conundrum,” Inc.,December 2004. p.38.

10. Jeffrey Pfeffer, The Human Equation (Boston: HarvardBusiness School Press, 1998), p. 293.

11. Jeff Pettit, “Team Communication: It’s in the Cards,”Training & Development, January 1997, p. 12.

12. Patrick Lencioni, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (SanFrancisco: Jossey-Bass, 2002), p. vii.

13. Rachel Emma Silverman, “Working on YourMarriage—at Work,” Wall Street Journal, May 31,2007, p. 1.

14. William M. Bulkeley, “IBM to Help Pay for Plans toCurb Childhood Obesity,” Wall Street Journal,October 24, 2007, p. D4.

15. Daniel Goleman, Working with Emotional Intelligence,(New York: Bantam Books, 1998), p. 3.

16. Robert Kreitner, Management, 11th ed. (Mason, Ohio:Cengage Learning, 2009), p. 258.

17. Allan A. Kennedy, interview by, in “The CultureWars,” Inc., 20th Anniversary Issue, 1999, pp. 107–108.

18. Anita Raghavan, Kathryn Kranhold, and Alexei Bar-rionuevo, “How Enron Bosses Created a Culture ofPushing Limits,” Wall Street Journal, August 26, 2002,p. B1.

19. Suein L. Hwang, “Workers’ Slogans Find NewHome This Side of the Great Wall,” Wall StreetJournal, October 16, 2002, p. B1.

20. Brian Tracy, The 100 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws ofBusiness Success (San Francisco: Bertett-KoehlerPublishers, Inc., 2000), p. 121.

21. Sue Shellenbarger, “Along with Benefits and Pay,Employees Seek Friends on the Job,” Wall StreetJournal, February 20, 2002, p. B1.

22. “Great Expectations,” Fast Company, November1999, p. 224.

23. Betsy Jacobson and Beverly Kaye, “Balancing Act,”Training & Development, February 1993, p. 26.

24. Sue Shellenbarger, “Job Candidates Prepare toSacrifice Some Frills and Balance—For Now,” WallStreet Journal, November 21, 2001, p. B1; StephanieArmour, “Workers Put Family First Despite SlowEconomy, Jobless Fears,” USA Today, June 6, 2002,p. 38.

25. Rochelle Sharpe, “Labor Letter,” Wall Street Journal,September 13, 1994, p. 1.

26. Alan Farnham, “The Man Who Changed WorkForever,” Fortune, July 21, 1997, p. 114; CynthiaCrossen, “Early Industry Expert Soon Realized aStaff Has Its Own Efficiency,” Wall Street Journal,November 6, 2006, p. B1.

27. James Baughman quote from Frank Rose, “A NewAge for Business?” Fortune, October 8, 1990, p. 162.

28. Bradley J. Rieger, “Lessons in Productivity andPeople,” Training & Development, October 1995,pp. 56–58.

29. “A Field Is Born,” Harvard Business Review, July/August 2008, p. 164.

30. Jim Collins, “The Classics,” Inc., December 1996,p. 55.

31. Adapted from Ryan Underwood, “A Field Guide tothe Gurus,” Fast Company, November 2004, p. 104.

32. John A. Byrne, “The Man Who Invented Manage-ment,” BusinessWeek, November 28, 2005,pp. 97–106.

33. Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman, Jr., InSearch of Excellence: Lessons from America’s Best-RunCompanies (New York: Harper & Row, 1982), p. 14;Tom Peters, “Tom Peters’ True Confessions,” FastCompany, December 2001, p. 80.

34. Stephen R. Covey, The Seven Habits of HighlyEffective People (New York: Simon & Schuster,1989), pp. 66–67.

35. Richard Koonce, “Emotional IQ, A New Secret ofSuccess,” Training & Development, February 1996,p. 19; Cary Cherniss and Daniel Goleman, eds., TheEmotionally Intelligent Workplace (San Francisco:Jossey-Bass, 2001), pp. 13–26.

36. Denis Waitley, Empires of the Mind (New York:Morrow, 1995), p. 133.




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37. Michael Crom, “Building Trust in the Workplace,”The Leader, October 1998, p. 6; Ron Zemke, “CanYou Manage Trust?” Training, February 2000, pp.76–83.

38. Harold H. Bloomfield and Robert K. Cooper, ThePower of 5 (Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1995), p. 61.

39. Louis S. Richman, “How to Get Ahead in America,”Fortune, May 16, 1994, pp. 46–54; Ronald Henkoff,“Winning the New Career Game,” Fortune, July 12,1993, pp. 46–49.

40. Jack Canfield, The Success Principles (New York:HarperCollins, 2005), pp. 3–18.

41. Thomas Moore, A Life at Work (New York: Broad-way Books, 2008), pp. 7–11.

42. Barry Salzberg, “Why Mentoring Matters in aHypercompetitive World,” Harvard Business Review,July–August 2008, p. 154.

43. Kelly K. Spors, “What Makes a Great Place toWork?” Wall Street Journal, October 1, 2007, pp.R1–R6.

End Notes 23



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